Washington Park

Located just 1.6 miles from Pittock Manson, Washington Park is one of Portland's most amazing venues as it contains a multitude of museums, art installations, monuments, and gardens, and has also been host to a variety of events. This article intended to cover a bit of the park's origins and to shed some light on some notable locations and an event associated with the park.

Origins of the Park

Portland purchased the park's original 40.78 acres of land from Amos King back in 1871. Originally, the site was called City Park and it was lush with brush, trees, and a healthy cougar population. In the 1880s, Charles M. Meyers was made park keeper. As Meyers was a retired seaman with no experience with landscape, he decided to replicate the terrain of Germany and European parks. By 1900, it was easy to find roads, trails, landscaped lawns, flower gardens, and even a zoo. Cable cars were present from 1890 to the 1930s. Two reservoirs were established within the park in 1893 and 1894.

In 1903, John Charles Olmsted, part of the national landscaping firm "Olmsted Brothers," suggested big changes for the park. These changes were the name, entrance, splitting roads from pedestrian walkways, and changing the formal gardens to only nurture native species of flora. City Park became Washington Park six years later.

Royal Rosarian Statue

Erected in 2011, this statue, which resides within the Rose Garden, pays homage to the state's Royal Rosarian organization. The Rosarians are a civil organization known for welcoming all to the city of Portland since their formation in 1912. They have a distinguished uniform consisting of an all-white woolen suit paired with a straw hat; the hat is used to welcome visitors. While the organization's upper level of membership also wears capes with the uniform, the Rosarian depicted in this memorial is a normal member who is posed tipping his hat.

Peacock in the Park

"Peacock in the Park" was a variety show dedicated to the LGBTIA+ community that was regularly held every year within Portland, Oregon's Washington Park. While the program began in 1987, it rebranded itself as "Peacock After Dark" for what was then regarded as its final year in 2005. Eventually, community interest surged to the point that Peacock in the Park returned in 2014. Regardless of the year it was held, this was a family-friendly event without any sort of attendance fee. Every show would be packed with dancers, drag performers, and live musicians interacting with the sizable audience from the amphitheater's stage.

"Portland Monthly" compared the 2014 revival to the Super Bowl, encouraging thousands of people from the LGBTQIA+ community to show up at the amphitheater, lay out blankets and coolers, and enjoy some amazing performances on stage while they enjoy food and drinks.

Oregon Zoo

While the Oregon Zoo opened in 1888, the modern site debuted in 1959. It houses over 2,500 animals across more than 200 species. As the birthplace of Packy, North America's largest example of the Asian elephant, the zoo has a notable breeding program for this species.